The Fourth Wave Crashes Sunday Listening Pleasure….

Out of all the music I listen to, (excepting K-pop) nothing gets me more grief than ska, especially ska punk. Yes, I know that during the mid 90’s ska punk bands were crawling out of the woodwork and most of them were horrible. I know some music critics claim that if you take horrible punk rock and add a trumpet and a sax you now have what is considered good ska punk. And yes, ska punk bands do seem to have a habit of covering songs that should not be covered and turning them into monstrosities that make plunging an ice pick into your eardrum look like the sane choice. (See Save Ferris covering Come On, Eileen as an example. Hide the ice picks. Not that only ska punk is guilty of this. Anyone playing Goldfinger’s cover of 99 Luftballoons in my hearing radius is risking a broken Ipod.)

All that being said, some ska punk is really good. And of the good ska punk bands, none are better than Streetlight Manifesto. Good songwriting, an incredible live show, and lyrics that sometimes display a rationalist viewpoint, I’ve seen Streetlight 7 times now and have yet to be disappointed. So let’s get a little bouncy for today’s listening pleasure! (Videos after the jump)

First off, We Will Fall Together:

I once knew a guy, obsessed with the afterlife
Oh what a terrible day that was, he realized he’d wasted all his time
Time was ticking by, and he’d been left behind
And as the clock tick-tocked his heart did stop and everything he had was fucked

And we know not what we do (Can you hear them call?)
Will we ever make it through?
As they watch us fall from the sky to the ground to the see
Woe is me, woe is me, no one will save you now
We can only look away (away!)
We’ll not be victims there’ll be no victims of to speak
And only then will we be free
And up will rise the meek

And when we fall we will fall together
No one will catch us so we’ll catch ourselves
And where we roam we will roam forever
No one will understand what we meant

The beaten and the bruised, forsaken, the abused
Oh what a glorious day we’ll have rising up and claiming all our dues
The day will come as sure as the ever-setting sun
All of those that self-imposed will find themselves so indisposed

And we know not what we do (Can you hear their call?)
Will we ever make it through?
As they watch us fall from the sky to the ground to the sea
Woe is me, woe is me, no one will save you now
We can only look away (away!)
We will not be victims there’ll be no victims of to speak
And only then will we be free
And up will rise the meek

And when we fall we will fall together
No one will catch us so we’ll catch ourselves
And where we roam we will roam forever
No one will understand what we meant

Now, with the line drawn in the wet sand
You need to tell us where to stand
Sitting waiting watching rotting everything they warned us of is true
Now tell me what we’re all supposed to do

They’re coming after all of us with everything they’ve got
With the fury of a soldier who will answer to his God
So how will we fight? All we have is logic and love on our side

And when we fall we will fall together
No one will catch us so we’ll catch ourselves
And where we roam we will roam forever
No one will understand what we meant

Next up, Would You Be Impressed?

Would you be upset if I told you we were dying?
And every cure they gave us was a lie?
Oh! They mean it when they say we’re dead and doomed
And every single symptom brings us closer to the tomb
And who will take the credit for our swift impending fall
Because it’s not my fault

Would you be impressed if I said that the dead would help us counting
Every single moment that we waste our time?
All the time we’re spending vaccinating this disease
I just get dizzy when I think of all the ways we try to hide our maladies
We wine (we wine), we dine (we dine), and everything is fine
Because it’s not my fault

Now you’re upset because you finally got the notion
That everything you had is spinning down the drain
Oh! Do you mean it when you beg and pray and plead?
Your “Giveittomegiveittomegiveittomegiveittome all those things we need”
And what, pray tell, will you whimper when your number will be called
You’ll say “It’s not my fault”

Go! Now! The others they’ll await you
And every single one among the lot of you will have your turn
Ai Ai Ai Oh Oh OH
Like moths that fly into the flame it always ends up so
You scream: “Not me! Take anybody else!
Because it’s not my fault!”

I had a dream last night where everyone was trying
Subconsciously I knew it was a lie
And when I woke I knew it was time to pray
To make amends before the end, before my judgment day
I looked around, I stood alone, I knew what I had to say
I said “It’s all my fault”

One more, this time live. Mephisto’s Cafe

If I were you, I would take this as a sign
Believe it’s true, we were never meant to fly
And I owe you, I know you more than anyone alive
And I will not let go

They will not remember this song
No matter what we do we’ll be wrong
They will not remember this song
No matter what we do we’ll be wrong

I can’t seem to see the seal we’re breaking
I can’t seem to see the seal we broke
I refuse to recognize your views
Someone shouted “Everything’s for nothing”
Somebody shouted, “All is lost”
But I can’t buy that nonsense too

Way back when the prophecies began
Do you think they really had a master plan
Or were they merely writing fables, stories?
I don’t know but it has occurred to me
The punishment that they threaten constantly
It’s only real if they could just convince me

We’re going down, down, down to Mephisto’s Cafe
Down, down, down to Mephisto’s Cafe (We’re going down)
And the gears will spin and the sinners sin, but at least we’ll give them hell
And the righteous few will spit on you, so bid them all farewell
We’re going down, down, down to Mephisto’s Cafe
We’re going down (Right?) (Right!)

So fuck the flocks of sheep that keep amassing masses
Asses being led so far astray
And I won’t claim to believe the things I read
Black books or agenda magazine
I’d rather see in shades of gray

If I were you, I would take this as a sign
Believe it’s true, we were never meant to fly

And I knew you when you were you
Before they twisted all your views
Before you came unglued

We’re going down, down, down to Mephisto’s Cafe
Down, down, down to Mephisto’s Cafe (We’re going down)
And the gears will spin and the sinners sin, but at least we’ll give them hell
And the righteous few will spit on you, so bid them all farewell
We’re going down, down, down to Mephisto’s Cafe
We’re going down (Right?) (Right!)

Now everybody’s telling taller tales
And I don’t know who to believe
Ok, if your father really loves you more
What about the other families?

Finally, I met a man with kindness in his eye and fire in his heart
He said you’ll never have to choose a side
It’s rewarding but oh, the road is hard….

They broke him wide open
Like a dam and a cork that’s holding everything inside
You can play the role of rebel
Just be sure to know your wrong from right

I remember it was years ago
You know I still count the days
You and I had quite a ways to go
I never once heard you complain
And you said

Don’t crack, because you might not make it back
And if you do you will be alone and you can’t live like that
Well I know when I’m wrong and I sure as hell ain’t wrong this time

We’re going down, down, down to Mephisto’s Cafe
Down, down, down to Mephisto’s Cafe (We’re going down)
And the gears will spin and the sinners sin, but at least we’ll give them hell
And the righteous few will spit on you, so bid them all farewell
We’re going down, down, down to Mephisto’s Cafe
We’re going down (Right?) (Right!)

Okay, just in case you clicked that link to Goldfinger’s cover of 99 Luftballoons, here’s Nena’s version to hopefully wash away the horror.

About the Author

Described as "intelligent but self-destructive," Foster Disbelief spent his twenties furiously attempting to waste his potential in a haze of religion and heroin. Science and atheism allowed him to escape his twin addictions and he now spends his days attempting to make the most of his three remaining brain cells.